Electric shavers usually have one or more cutter elements driven by an electric drive unit in an oscillating manner where the cutter elements reciprocate under a shear foil, wherein such cutter elements or undercutters may have an elongated shape and may reciprocate along their longitudinal axis. Other types of electric shavers use rotatory cutter elements which may be driven in an oscillating or a continuous manner. Said electric drive unit may include an electric motor or a magnetic-type linear motor, wherein the drive unit may include a drive train having elements such as an elongated drive transmitter for transmitting the driving motion of the motor to the cutter element, wherein said motor may be received within the handle portion of the shaver or in the alternative in the shaver head thereof.
Irrespective of the architecture of the drive unit and the cutter element, the shaver head needs to be cleaned after shaving so as to remove hair dust or debris or hair stubbles from the cutter elements and other surfaces and elements in the interior of the shaver head. Shaver heads sometimes have internal hair chip chambers or hair dust chambers so as to collect the cut hairs in the interior of the shaver head and to avoid chipped hair deposits on other portions of the shaver. However, due to the small size of the hair particles, hair dust may reach other portions and may form deposits anywhere on the outer surface of the shaver head and the neck portion between the shaver head and the handle.
It therefore has already been suggested to wash the shaver head under the faucet of a sink where rinsing water is directed onto the shaver head. In order to also clean the interior of the shaver head and the undercutter under the perforated shear foil, the shaver head may include rinse openings so that the water may enter into the interior of the shaver head and rinse through the interior to clean the cutter elements, drive train elements and other interior surfaces of the shaver head.
For example, document EP 2 769 812 A1 discloses an electric shaver with a shaver head having a pair of rinse openings communicating with the interior thereof so that rinsing water may clean the interior of the shaver head. Said rinse openings are provided with slidable lids for opening and closing the rinse openings.
GB 2129732 A shows a shaver head having rinse openings at opposite sides thereof, wherein such rinse openings can be opened and closed by means of pivotable doors. Furthermore, WO 2005/000540 A1 discloses a shaver head with rotatory cutter elements, wherein sidewalls of the shaver head housing are provided with rectangular through holes forming rinse openings, wherein a closing member closing such rinse openings is attached to a shaving head holder so that the rinse openings are only opened when said shaver head holder is opened. A similar shaver head is shown in WO 2005/000539 A1, wherein an impeller for actively driving the washing fluid is rotatably received inside the shaver head and connected to the drive structure of the shaver head.
Another example of an electric shaver having a rinse channel system for washing the interior of the shaver head is known from document JP-2012-055384 A. So as to increase the washing effect of the rinsing water, steering elements are provided in the shaver head to spread the water into the corners of the hair dust chamber.